The Swopshire split

LTP eluded to it and BTN put it up on screen for everyone to digest during Thursday’s win over Illinois, Northwestern may very well go as senior transfer Jared Swopshire goes.

Swopshire’s splits in wins and losses this season have been pretty drastic. Swopshire is averaging 9.1 points per game and shooting 42.1 percent from the floor for this season. In wins, though, Swopshire is posting 11.9 points per game and shooting 48.8 percent from the floor. In losses, however, Swopshire scores only 4.6 points per game and is shooting 30.0 percent from the floor.

Just so those numbers are more clearly read that is 11.9 points per game in wins and 4.6 points per game in losses.

That is a stark, stark difference.

Of course, Swopshire has had games where he did not score much and NU won and he has had games where he has scored fine and the team has lost. Causation is not correlation. But it certainly does not hurt to have Swopshire playing well and looking for his shot.

Swopshire has had to take on a perhaps unfamiliar role for Northwestern. After he was more of a defensive do-everything player off the bench for Louisville for much of his three seasons playing there, he was brought in to do much of the same and expand his scoring game. With Drew Crawford out though, Swopshire — along with Dave Sobolewski — have had to take on more of the leadership and scoring role. It has been a slow transition for Swopshire.

But in Northwestern’s two Big Ten wins, Swopshire has scored 17 points against Penn State and 12 points against Illinois, shooting 9 for 15 combined in those two games.

Again, it is a small sample size — remember, he scored 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting in the loss to Michigan. It will not take Swopshire playing well alone to win games. It certainly is something Northwestern should expect from Swopshire. The Wildcats need him playing well.

Swopshire’s scoring and overall aggression level will be something to keep an eye on as Northwestern plays Indiana on Sunday.